I have a SunFire V445 running Solaris 10 and am adding a Sun DLT tape drive. From the OK prompt the probe-scsi-all does see the drive and it is the proper target of 4. When I do the boot -- -r it does build the /dev/rmt directories correctly and the links to /devices appear correct as well. When I do a cfgadm -al it shouse c3::rmt/0 tape connected configured but an unknown condition. But then so do the disk drives. But I get errors running tar or ufsdump saying unable to open tape. When I do a mt -f /dev/rmt/0 the response is no tape loaded or drive offline. Now I have verified and reloaded the tape cartridge several times but no luck. Am I missing something?
---------- Post updated at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous update was at 01:08 PM ----------
This is what I get for the config command. So it appears to be seeing the drive.
mt -f /dev/rmt/0 config
"BNCHMARKDLT1", "Benchmark DLT1", "CFGBENCHMARKDLT1";
CFGBENCHMARKDLT1 = 2,0x3A,0,0x18659,4,0x40,0x40,0x40,0x40,3,600,600,18000,18000,18000,18000,18000;
My guess is that, although you say the device nodes have been created, they are not all there. The recommended way to create these in Solaris 10 is using the 'devfsadm' command, probably:
# devfsadm -cv
Is that what you did?
'cfgadm' is used for reading/modifying a configuration not creating one.
Of course, for 'devfsadm' to do it's stuff, all peripherals/tapes/disks/external devices should be powered up when the command is run otherwise it won't find them when it scans for new hardware. After running all necessary /dev/rmt/? devices should have been created.
---------- Post updated at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous update was at 08:46 PM ----------
Another thought is have you checked for proper scsi termination? Double termination? No termination?
---------- Post updated at 08:54 PM ---------- Previous update was at 08:51 PM ----------
Also, check that it's not been configured as /dev/rmt/1
Just try that device too.
Thanks for the info.
I did run devfsadm -c tape -v and got no output when it finished. But the entries were already there in /dev/rmt from after the boot -- -r. I did the cfgadm just to see if it showed the tape and it does. Just in an unknown state. but then all of the dsk drives also are listed that way. I had run devfsadm -C -c tape -v prior to the boot to make sure it rebuilt the entries. It did but I still get an I/0 error when trying a tar command.
I have moved the tape to a different system and it works fine. So it has to be something not set correctly or something missing.
Thanks again for the help.
Hmmmmm.......Is this SPARC or x86? (SORRY - You've said it's SPARC.)
What is the scsi adapter? Add-in or on-board?
Is there a bios setting required to enable tape support?
---------- Post updated at 09:02 PM ---------- Previous update was at 09:00 PM ----------
Try a different scsi ribbon cable.
There is no directories for 1 in /dev/rmt. Just the ones for 0. Also when I do the devfsadm -f /dev/rmt/0 config it does find the tape drive. I included the output from this above. Still scratching my head.
---------- Post updated at 03:05 PM ---------- Previous update was at 03:02 PM ----------
The scsi is a pci@e card with two ports. I'm not finding anything about a bios setting for it. But will look again. I have switched cables and get the same results. Plus since the devfsadm command does come back with the drive type and name I have to believe it is reaching it okay.
Is this a production box? Can you reboot it? I just wonder whether another process is holding the device open. Have you looked at your process list?
Yes, I'm scratching my head right now too.
---------- Post updated at 09:17 PM ---------- Previous update was at 09:14 PM ----------
To verify the hardware could you boot it from DVD (install media) and try and run the tape drive? The DVD single user boot should automatically configure such a tape drive.
ok> boot cd -s
I can reboot it and have done so several times. But I am going to try it all again. Unfortunately that will have to wait until morning as management calls. I'll post the results then. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.
---------- Post updated 05-04-17 at 10:50 AM ---------- Previous update was 05-03-17 at 03:17 PM ----------
I did a reboot and still get the same results. This is what I did this morning.
init 0
at ok prompt setenv auto-boot? false
reset-all
probe-scsi-all - the results do show the tape drive at the correct target of 4
boot -- -r
after reboot I check /dev/rmt and the links are there. I then check the devices directories in the links and the files are there as well.
I try a tar command and get an I/O error
I try the mt config and get back the correct info on the tape drive
I try the mt status and get no tape loaded or drive offline
I do a reboot then when it's back up I go through it all again with the same results.
I try cfgadm -al command and it shows c3::rmt.old/0 tape connected configured unknown
I do devfsadm -c tape -v and check the links and the files again. All look good.
I do a mt status and get the same error again.
Try the tar again and get the same error.
So what am I missing? The tape drive works fine on a v440 that I have also running Solaris 10. Is it possible this drive is not compatible with a V445? Seems unlikely to me, but then you never know. Thanks in advance.
Here's a stupid question: Have you checked the access rights on /dev/rmt/0? Are you trying to access the tape from the root user? If not, access rights will matter.
I assume this is a single DLT drive we are talking about and not a DLT library (robot)?
If you can connect the drive to another system and it works have you compared the two /etc/devlink.tab files to see any difference in entries?
well even more proof these things do have awareness. After checking cables and trying a different v445 which after several boots using several set-ups it started writing to a cassette drive, which had a second small cassette drive attached to it as well. So I moved this setup to the machine need to have the tapes on and it worked there as well. So I replaced the mini cassette tape drive with the DLT tape drive and everything came up working fine. The only thing I can see is that the first cassette drive is set for target 1 and the DLT is set for target 4. This is how probe-scsi-all saw them as well. So it seems the issue was not having them both there to match the targets. Once they were all worked.
We just love these machines and I do believe they are proof that either they have a sense of humor or are evidence that God does.
Thanks for all the advice. Keep on trucking.